New Book Chronicles Technion's Transformative Influence on Israel and the World
Friday, July 27, 2012
By: Kevin Hattori

As the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology continues to make headlines, many have asked how a small Israeli university became the powerhouse that has had a $60 billion impact on the Israeli economy, transforming it from one focused on agriculture to one based on high-tech.

Technion Nation, by Amnon Frenkel and Shlomo Maital, senior research fellows at the Technion’s Samuel Neiman Institute for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology, tells how Technion scientists have given the world discoveries leading to treatments for cancer and Alzheimer’s and countless innovations that enrich the lives of people everywhere – winning Nobel Prizes along the way.

Technion Nation chronicles the Technion's impact on Israel's economy

In the book’s forward, Israeli President Shimon Peres says, “It was lucky the Technion was founded prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, helping us prepare for the future.”

Indeed, the book traces the history of the university from the laying of its cornerstone in 1912 to the present day, when its influence around the world continues to grow.  The past year has been an exciting time for the Technion. Highlights have included a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for Prof. Dan Shechtman (for his discovery of a previously unknown form of matter), and a partnership between the Technion and Cornell University being selected as the winner of a competition to design and build a new applied science educational institution in New York City. The Technion-Cornell Innovation Institute (TCII), considered to be the heart of this initiative, is part of Cornell NYC Tech, the overall campus that Cornell University is responsible for building on Roosevelt Island.

Also discussed in the book are the many startup companies that emanate from Technion researchers and alumni, and facts that include:

• More than two-thirds of the Israeli companies traded on the tech-heavy NASDAQ stock exchange have Technion alumni as founders or senior managers.

• There are more firms from Israel listed on the NASDAQ than from France, Germany and the UK combined.

• 17 percent of Technion graduates work in high-tech startups – three times the general rate.

To view a promotional video about Technion Nation, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RiIYgCC7Gw

The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is a major source of the innovation and brainpower that drives the Israeli economy, and a key to Israel’s renown as the world’s “Start-Up Nation.” Its three Nobel Prize winners exemplify academic excellence. Technion people, ideas and inventions make immeasurable contributions to the world including life-saving medicine, sustainable energy, computer science, water conservation and nanotechnology.

 American Technion Society (ATS) donors provide critical support for the Technion—more than $1.7 billion since its inception in 1940. Based in New York City, the ATS and its network of chapters across the U.S. provide funds for scholarships, fellowships, faculty recruitment and chairs, research, buildings, laboratories, classrooms and dormitories, and more.